Put Google Maps back on your iPhone with Maps+

If you're one of the many who are underwhelmed with Apple's Maps and wish you could get Google Maps back on your iPhone, I highly recommend downloading Maps+. Besides using the Google Maps API, Maps+ offers several features now missing in Apple's new Maps app. The app also adds plenty of features that were never in Google Maps on the iPhone, like bicycling directions, location-based alarms, current location coordinates and altitude and more.

There are pros and cons to consider with Maps+. For one, point-of-interest search results in Maps+ aren't as good as the old Google Maps app, but often better than Apple's Maps. Also, Maps+ lacks public transport directions and Street View. Then again, the app is free, and if you're missing Google Maps on your iPhone, this is the best way to get them back.

A US$1.99 in-app purchase unlocks the app fully, enabling you to set multiple pins, labels, bookmarks and alarms.

It's important to note that, even though Maps+ has been available for over a year, it's not in the "Maps Apps" section of the App Store. The fact that Apple is leaving Maps+ off (I would guess, because it uses Google Maps) doesn't bode well for them approving a dedicated iOS Google Maps, something Schmidt has recently hinted at in a non-committal way.

Maps+ is a universal app and a free download.